Xero has appointed Chorus marketing and sales general manager Victoria Crone to head its local operation as cloud-based accounting software maker continues its drive to grab customers. Crone will join Xero’s Auckland office in April this year as New Zealand managing director, joining the Wellington-based accounting software maker after 18 years with Telecom and Chorus. She previously managed Telecom’s sales …

US fund manager BlackRock, which manages more than US$4.1 trillion in assets worldwide, has built up a 5 percent stake in trans-Tasman casino and hotel operator SkyCity Entertainment Group. BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) declared the shareholding in SkyCity today, with almost 29.1 million shares, or 5.01 percent of the company, making the third fund manager to build a substantial investment …

New Zealand food prices fell for a third month due to cheaper vegetables which were in season, though more expensive milk pushed up prices over the year. The food price index slipped 0.1 percent in December, adding to the 0.2 percent and 1 percent declines in the prior two months, according to Statistics New Zealand. On an annual basis, food …